End of a Dry Spell

For much of last year, I just didn't knit much. The dry spell probably started off because I was studying for the bar and I had too much to juggle as it was. Then I started knitting a sweater for myself, and without a deadline, it was hard to finish. I'm excited that I've been hit with the knitting bug again, especially with some new babies that have just arrived, and some on the way! So in the meanwhile, I've put aside the sweater for me, but I really am hoping that I finish it . . . and relatively soon.

Child's Placket Neck Sweater

I knit this to give to my older nephew S for Christmas last year (2007). It's the child's placket neck sweater designed by Joelle Hoverson, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish

Here's the sweater in progress:

Pattern available at:

http://www.purlsoho.com/_gr/our_books/childplacketsweater.pdf

Pea Pod Baby Sweater Set

I knit the Pea Pod Baby Sweater set designed by Kate Gilbert last year, but never posted it! I made this for my nephew S-E.

Yarn: Cashsoft

This is the sweater where I went button-hunting.

Oh, and this is the sweater where I accidentally used yarn from 2 yarn lots, and it really made a difference. One arm is definitely a different shade of green. By the time I realized, I had gone to far and just thought I'd go with it. My nephew still looked cute in it!

My First Adult Sweater

I knitted this sweater last year for KG as a holiday present -- except that I didn't finish it until almost the end of winter (in early 2007)! She picked out the sweater (which we saw in the Webs catalog), and the colors are the same as the pattern in the book. I revised the patterns so it has buttons all the way down, instead of just one button up top.

Sorry I couldn't get the best pics on this -- KG keeps the sweater in her office, so I took the photos there.

Here is the pattern book I used:



Yarn:
Tahki Dakota (olive green) -- Stretchy so it's hard to keep a consistent gauge, but very fluffy and soft!
Tahky Bunny Print -- also very fluffy and beautiful colors

Baby Hats and Booties!

After the Circle of Friends blanket, we had some leftover yarn, so I decided to make a hat and booties. In a hat, the colors looked pretty bold and lively . . . and also looked like an outfit for Outfest! The booties also came out huge, as if the new baby would be the next Big Foot. That's because I used a thicker yarn and didn't bother adjusting the pattern. Still, it was a fun project, and KG and I included them in our gift to the couple during the second baby shower thrown by friends and family, along with some cute clothes and a contribution to their second parent adoption fund.









Yarn: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran

Pattern for Hat: Itty-Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson --basic hat template #2, modified for stripes

Pattern for Booties: Simple Knits For Cherished Babies by Erika Knight -- "classic cashmere booties" (p. 33), modified for colors and added tie.

THEN . . .

It turns out a co-worker of mine is also having a baby! I had hoped to make a baby blanket but I got caught with an intense deadline . . . so a hat and booties were calling me again! We had planned surprise baby shower, and the night before (which was the day after the deadline), I stayed up late knitting these:



In fact, I had to finish sewing up the last bootie (booty?) during lunch, at the pizza place near my office.

My co-worker and his wife didn't want to know the baby's gender ahead of time, and he had also commented that he was tired of green and yellow, so I went again for some bold colors: red and orange. This time I went through the effort of doing the math to adjust the pattern so the booties wouldn't be so large.

Yarn: same as above
Patterns: same as above, but booties pattern adjusted for size, both patterns adjusted for stripes and color blocks.

Circle of Friends Baby Blanket

At KG's work, there is a Stitch n' Bitch group that gathers every week at lunchtime to knit together. A couple we know are having a baby, and both of them both work at the same place that KG does, so she organized the Stitch n' Bitch group to work on a blanket together. I have always wanted to knit the Circle of Friends blanket from the book "Last Minuted Knitted Gifts" and here was the perfect occasion!

Each person knits one strip (we had seven strips). Then another person seamed it all together. KG and I shared knitting a strip. Here's ours:






Here it is placed together but before it was seamed:






And here is the final product!







The colors look a little different in real life (better I think -- that dark color is a deep purple, even though it looks black on the screen).


We had knitters of all levels working on the blanket. I missed the baby shower where they presented it but apparently one of the moms-to-be cried when they got the blanket.



Pattern: Circle of Friends Blanket from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran
Pattern modification: size 8 needles, 22 stitches across for each row per strip, 42 rows (for a 5" x 5" square)

Scarf for a friend

Have you ever had a time when you did something and you weren't sure why, but later it all came together? About a year ago, I found some neat novelty yarn at A.C. Moore that I couldn't resist. I thought I'd make a scarf, even though I wasn't sure who I would give it to or if I would keep it. This was the perfect scarf to knit on buses and public transportation.
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After I finished it, I was invited to a very dear friend's 80th birthday party. I've only had off and on contact with her over the past few years, but I do think of her often and with great fondness. I was deciding what to get her when I realized this scarf would be perfect! It was like the scarf knew that it had to be made, even if I didn't know it.